15 Addictive Ways to Waste Time Online Now That the Kids Are Back at School

The school buses are running again, and the kids are out of the house. Finally. With the end of the far-too-long summer break, this return to school days can leave you with a little extra time on your hands during the day, right? Well, maybe not too much, but your daily schedule should ease up a bit, so now what do you do? You get back on the Internet, that’s what.

If you work from home or spend your days as a stay-at-home parent, the summer months with the kids around can be a lot fun and give you more opportunity to bond as family. But it doesn’t leave much free time. Now that your tykes are back in school, you may find yourself with some spare hours after having to manage a house full of children all summer.

One way to keep busy is you could get more work done or finish more projects around the house. You could add a fulfilling hobby to your repertoire, maybe read a classic novel. Or you could do what the rest of us do and waste your time surfing the ’net. This probably won’t improve your life, but it’s so fun and the gratification is instant.

Here are 15 of our favorite ways to waste what little time we have on the World Wide Web:

Reddit

Reddit.com

The POTUS has done it and now you should, too. Have no idea where to surf or what you’re even looking for? Reddit is your answer. You can find conversations about almost anything you could imagine people would discuss … and a few things you couldn’t. Plus, it’s a place where reading the commentary won’t leave you disappointed in the human species, as opposed to someplace like a YouTube comments section. Pick and choose which conversations you want to peep in on, or start one yourself.

Pinterest

Pinterest.com

If you haven’t started pinning yet, you haven’t started living. But even if you just want to lurk, looking at what everyone else is pinning is a good way to keep your finger on the pulse of all that’s new on the Internet. There’s something for everyone on Pinterest. It’s not just a craft site — there are funny pics, chuckle-worthy cartoons and great ideas for just about anything. Have a few minutes before your next conference call? Pin pin pin.

Mars Curiosity Rover

mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/

Maybe you should waste some of your spare time actually learning something and exploring space. That way, you could make it sound like you weren’t wasting time at all. In case you missed it, we now have an exploration craft on our neighboring red planet. The Curiosity Rover is doing all kinds of fascinating research and sending incredible pics back home to us. It’s easy to get addicted to taking in all the information you can about its trip. Once you start on this site, you won’t be able to start.

The Oatmeal

theoatmeal.com

Don’t let them fool you: Oatmeal is not just for breakfast anymore. The Oatmeal is the perfect Internet snack. Its content practically begs to be shared, so if your Facebook timeline has been lacking lately, just start posting the stuff you find on The Oatmeal for instant popularity. Cartoons, quizzes, polls and even an effort to raise money to build a museum to preserve the life and works of Nikola Tesla — what was once a bland breakfast dish is now a tasty Web treat.

Cracked

Cracked.com

First they mastered the hilarious magazine, and now they’ve mastered the hilarious website. Cracked.com has columnists, videos, memes, video games and weird news, but be careful: don’t go to Cracked unless you’re prepared to lose more than a minute of your time. Once you go in, it’s tough to get out. And if you do, you come out slightly cracked yourself.

The Onion

TheOnion.com

The Onion is a classic time waster, and a good one. Are you sick of all the current rantings and ravings in politics? You have to be, unless you’ve been living under that rock where people sometimes go. Spend a few minutes following The Onion’s coverage of politics and laugh it out. They always leave every figure smoldering in a cloud of satirical smoke. Nobody escapes. Best of all, they have a way of concocting fantastic jokes that we’re all thinking but can’t quite articulate.

Bad Online Dating Profiles

badonlinedatingprofiles.tumblr.com

If you’ve never tried to find a date online, you might not realize just how much terrifying dating material exists on Match or OKCupid. To expand this appreciation, spend some quality time on Tumblr checking out Bad Online Dating Profiles. If you’re single it’ll probably scare you, but if you’re not single it’ll make you appreciate what you have. For a little more scary dating fun, check out Dating Profile Disasters too.

McKayla Is Not Impressed

mckaylaisnotimpressed.tumblr.com

It was the meme of the summer, and this adorable Olympic gymnast’s sour expression will put a smile on your face every time. There is no end to the places where you can see McKayla Maroney being unimpressed and a about a million people she has been unimpressed by. This cutie has done a triple back flip into our collective Internet heart. Let her add a grin to those three spare minutes you have before that lunch meeting.

Animals Being D*cks

animalsbeingdicks.com

Warning: the name of this site is not safe for work. And the gifs seen there are not safe for frowns. Animals can be real jerks sometimes, and when we capture that jerkitude for all to see, we help the Internet be a better place. The gifs are quick, the animals are d*cks, and the laughs are constant.

Dog Shaming

dog-shaming.com

Sometimes animals can be jerks. But they tend to be cute jerks, even when they’re causing trouble. Dog Shaming is the site for anyone who’s ever had a dog to see that theirs wasn’t the only pooch that made problems. These dogs deserve shame for their misdeeds, but you can’t help but love them for being bad. And hey, it’s not like it was your couch.

Text From Dog

textfromdog.tumblr.com

On the other hand, this guy has a good dog. Well, a talented dog anyway. His dog can send texts. Funny texts. About dog stuff. It’s way more addicting than it sounds. Pop in for a moment for a quick laugh, or scroll through months of posts containing the most random and hilarious things you can imagine a dog texting to its owner.

When Parents Text

whenparentstext.com

It might be okay to get texts from your dog, but nothing is more frightening and hilarious than getting texts from your parents. That is, if any of these people were your parents. If you enjoyed Lamebook and D*mn You Auto Correct, then this one will be another great time-eater for you. In fact, you can lose an hour just pondering how it’s possible that these people even make it out of their front doors every day.

This Is Why I’m Broke

thisiswhyimbroke.com

Spare time doesn’t always mean spare dollars, but if it did, then this site would help you get rid of your spare dollars fast. Make a quick visit to This Is Why I’m Broke, and you’ll find all kinds of lovely little things you never thought you needed, but now can’t live without. You can find a pollution snow globe, a water jet pack, a Batman brake light cover and even a coffee mug made from a camera lens. We told you: stuff you never thought you needed.

The Chive

theChive.com

It’s called (by itself) “Probably the Best Site in the World,” and it might just be right. At The Chive, you’ll find gallery after gallery of amusing photos and videos, which will inevitably suck away the few remaining free moments of your afternoon.

Attack of the Cute

attackofthecute.com

If you only have time to look at one of these sites, then make it this one. Attack of the Cute really lives up to its name. There’s no other way to put it. Land on the page, and you’re in the midst of a barrage of cute that just keeps coming. It’s impossible to click on something that isn’t cute. You’ll never be bored again.

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